LA Auto Show: 2017 Ford Escape

The 2017 Ford Escape debuts with a wider array of engine, more driver-assist systems and improved connectivity.

What Is It?

The Escape is Ford’s popular entry into the burgeoning compact crossover market. Three million Escapes have been sold since the model’s 2000 model-year debut, and 2014 was is its best year yet, with more than 300K units sold in that year alone.

So it’s important that Ford stay on the Escape’s case, to maximize its competitiveness.

What Ford is Saying:

Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, The Americas:

“The compact SUV segment is the largest and most competitive in the United States, and the new Escape delivers even more of what our customers want – more technology they can really use to make their daily drive safer and easier.”

What’s New for 2017:

New EcoBoost engine availability: the 1.5-liter is standard in SE and Titanium trims, and a 2.0-liter is optional. The base S continues with a non-EcoBoost 2.5-liter

Auto Stop-Start is standard on both EcoBoost engine, with Ford claiming a four to six mpg gain in stop-and-go traffic

Updated SYNC 3 with available SYNC Connect, which allows you to control various functions (including scheduling future remote starts) from a smartphone

A suite of driver-assist features – adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, active parking assist with steering assistance, and a lane-keeping system that informs the Driver Alert System as to whether the driver may be too fatigued to continue